Period of implementation: January 2026 – December 2027
How can children have a say in the decisions that affect them? And how can we create mechanisms at the community level that ensure their views are not only heard, but also taken into account?
Through the ChildACT+ Child Action for Effective and Inclusive Local Policies project, we aim to bring children closer to decision-making processes in their communities while supporting local authorities in creating forms of participation that work in practice.
The project is implemented in Romania, Italy, Spain, Latvia and Estonia and is coordinated by CRPE. We will work with children and youth aged 14 to 18, schools, civil society organisations and local authorities to strengthen children’s participation in decisions affecting their communities.
Children’s Participation Starts in the Community
Children’s participation in public decision-making is a right recognised at both European and international levels. In practice, however, opportunities for children to contribute to decisions that affect them remain limited, particularly at the local level.
In Romania, only 2% of children have ever participated in a public consultation organised by local authorities (World Vision, 2021). Participation is also unequal across the other project countries: children’s and youth councils, consultations and participatory budgeting initiatives exist, but they are not equally developed everywhere, and children’s involvement often remains limited to specific or one-off initiatives.
This is why ChildACT+ works on both sides of the equation: with children, so they can participate and advocate for their ideas in front of decision-makers, and with local authorities, so that children’s voices are more consistently and meaningfully included in decisions that affect them. Particular attention will be given to children with fewer opportunities, with a focus on children from rural areas, low-income families and minority groups, as well as migrant and refugee children and children with disabilities.
Project Activities
Over the course of two years, we will work with children, schools, organisations and local authorities across the five countries, from researching how children currently participate in local decision-making to developing and implementing initiatives proposed by children themselves. The project includes:
- analysing how children are currently involved in local decision-making and identifying the main barriers to their participation;
- consultations with children, local authorities, schools and non-governmental organisations across the five countries;
- training and mentoring activities for more than 360 children and youth aged 14 to 18, from 40 communities;
- supporting children in developing proposals and action plans for their communities;
- supporting 20 local initiatives developed and implemented by children;
- training and peer-learning activities with local authority representatives on children’s participation in decision-making;
- developing national recommendations and action plans to strengthen children’s participation at local level;
- European-level exchanges and dialogue based on the results and experiences from the five countries.
Project Team
ChildACT+ is implemented in Romania, Italy, Spain, Latvia and Estonia, together with organisations experienced in children’s and youth participation, civic education, inclusion and cooperation with local authorities.
In Romania, CRPE coordinates the project and activities including research and consultations, training programmes for children, cooperation with schools and local authorities, and support for initiatives proposed by children in their communities.
ChildACT+ is funded by the European Union through the CERV – Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the funding authority. Neither the European Union nor the funding authority can be held responsible for them.
